Premonition
by demisses
Summary: Sam woke from what she called a terrible nightmare just moments before she was to go up the mountain for a weekend spent in honor of Beth and Hannah. But was it truly a nightmare and can she alter the events and save her friends? Can she save Josh even if it's from himself?
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hullo! Naturally I don't claim to own any part of Until Dawn. Just wanted to get this idea out there and I hope yall enjoy it with me. M for all the usual fun stuff.

Premonition

Sam's last words of the interview echo around her. The ranger with his pointless note pad and scribbled notes fuel anger and pain and she wants nothing more than to lash out at him. Why is he just sitting there? Her friends were dead. Her friends were dead and he just kept asking more questions. But no matter how many times she played the events in her head, told the ranger what happened… they were still dead.

Ripped away from this world by the ice cold hell that was Blackwood Mountain and the monsters it had created. The monster it had turned Josh into…

Sam tried to push her hatred and pain for the mountain and focus back on the ranger and she blinked in surprise. He was gone. No word or sound had given warning to his departure. He was just gone. Sam began to grow anxious and she looked around the small, poorly lit room with wide eyes.

"H-hello? Look this isn't funny…" Sam shifted and pulled the scratchy wool blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Ranger… whatever your name is… "Sam's voice trailed off as the dim light in the room slowly began to fade and with it her fear grew. Muscles and joints froze and Sam found herself unable to move, her breath was shallow and short.

Closing her eyes tightly Sam fought to be brave, to not allow her fear to paralyze her but after the hell she had been through… it was proving very difficult to even think. With her body beginning to shake from how tightly she was wound Sam started to whisper to herself.

"It's over. You're safe. It's over. It's fucking over."

Finally managing a deep breath Sam slowly opened her eyes and grew weak at the sight surrounding her.

Across from her was her white dresser, the drawers in various levels of open and clothes hanging out. It took a moment for her mind to catch up and Sam looked around her room. There was her neatly made bed, the bookshelf crammed with books and knick knacks, her laptop on the floor next to a wall plug, her backpack and at last Sam realized that she was huddled on the floor next to her closet, shaking uncontrollably and tears streaming down her face.

When realization slammed into her like a ton of bricks Sam wrapped her arms around her waist and sobbed for a long while. When she at last had control of her body and emotions Sam was laying on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling fan.

"It wasn't real… just a dream." She whispered to herself and she couldn't ignore the goosebumps and shiver that ran along her body. Turning her head slightly she could see the corner of her bus ticket sticking over the edge of her dresser.

Sam quickly rolled and pushed herself to her knees and leaned over to her bed and snatched up her phone, her finger hovering over Josh's name in her contact list. Her first instinct was to call him. Over the past year since his twin sisters disappeared they had been in contact every day.

Whether it was a cup of coffee in the middle of the night and having a 'who can make up the worst jokes' contest, or calling the other on the phone and sitting in silence. Just knowing the other was on the other side of the phone feeling the same pain and at exact same moment, was enough to get them through it.

Then remembering that Josh was more than likely already at the resort waiting for everyone to join him, Sam sighed and leaned her forehead against the edge of her bed. But Sam felt the burning need to talk about her nightmare, to tell someone how it was torturing her. With a swipe of her thumb Sam decided to call Chris. The phone rang several times before his voicemail took over and Sam hung up without leaving a message and sighed in frustration.

Leaning back against the side of her bed Sam played the nightmare through her mind again. And all over again Sam felt shaky and sick.

"This isn't helping Sam." She whispered to herself before silence took over again. She was finally startled by the sound of the alarm on her phone going off, reminding her that she had a bus to catch in twenty minutes.

"Oh shit!" Sam said in a hurried voice and quickly snatched up her backpack, checking to make sure she had all of her clothes for the weekend packed. Next she rushed for her boots and jacket but the glimpse she caught of herself in her mirror had her stopping in her tracks. Her eyes here red rimmed and bruised, her blond hair disheveled and matted.

With a groan Sam snatched up her ushanka and pushed it down over her hair. Deeming herself 'good enough' she quickly left her room and kissed her parents goodbye. The hug between herself and her mother lasted longer than usual as suddenly Sam felt reluctant to leave the warm safety she felt. Then the ten minute alarm went off and Sam hurried from her child hood home toward the bus stop.

Once she reached the bus with only two minutes to spare, Sam settled into her seat and tried to enjoy the four hour ride up Blackwood Mountain. Instead of thinking about her nightmare her thoughts turned to Beth and Hannah and how much she missed them. How she wished she had done more to stop the stupid prank. And how she had put her feelings for Josh on hold as she tried to be there for him as much as she could.

There was so much she still wanted to tell him, had been meaning to tell him for so long and she had felt that at last her chance was coming and then the disappearance of his sisters, her best friends… Sam sighed and opened up the video message Josh had sent to everyone in their circle. A small smile curved her lips despite the sadness she was feeling.

He looked well. Sad, but no longer guilty. Sam decided that she would have to thank Dr. Hill for his efforts in helping Josh as well. The excitement Josh displayed carried over to her and bit by bit Sam felt the knot in her stomach ease. Maybe after this weekend…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N So welcome back yall! And of course any familiar dialog and junk is not mine. Hopefully though after this chapter it'll all be original work. Enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes and all that!**

* * *

"You know how Josh and I met?"

Sam hesitated and glanced at Chris. "No…"

"Ok. Third Grade. Josh sat in the back of the room, I sat in the front. We didn't even know each other existed. But the kid sitting next to Josh started strap snapping the training bra on the girl in front of him so the teacher made him move to the front- where I was sitting."

"Okay, so?" A scratching at the back of Sam's mind told her she already knew what he was going to say.

Chris beamed with excitement as he continued to the point of his story.

"So I got moved to the back! And next to Josh! That's how we met! And became friends. To this day."

Sam felt her next words through her whole body, knowing that she had said them before.

"A match made in heaven."

"If it weren't for the fact that Jeanie Simmonds hit puberty three years early and on that day decided to wear a low cut shirt that showed off her training bra… I mean who knows? You could be riding in this cable car alone. Right now. Or talking to some other person entirely. Boom. Butterfly effect."

Sam stared at Chris as she was filled with an intense wave of déjà vu. Her eyes searching his perfectly happy expression, looking for any sign that this conversation wasn't simply in her head. But a jolt from the cable car and the resulting bump her head took to the icy cold window told her that a conversation from her dream had just happened once more.

'Just a coincidence Sam… the stress of going back to Blackwood is getting to you…' Sam thought to herself but she couldn't stop the shiver that ran along her spine and it had nothing to do with the cold winter air.

* * *

Despite the sadness that followed Sam, as she expected with returning to the place where her best friends disappeared, she knew that she was deeply excited to see Josh again. All thoughts that her nightmare was somehow coming true were halted as she and Chris reached the final turn toward the lodge. And there he was leaning against a snow covered tree.

Only when he heard the crunch of their boots on the snow he looked over at them and smiled at her, did that excitement come to halt. He looked just as he did in her dream.

Same flannel shirt peeking from beneath the same puffy vest, beanie, warm smile and happy eyes. A worried knot began to form in her chest. Sam hardly heard the conversation between Chris and Josh as her mind raced to make sense of everything running through it.

The possibility that Josh really had only invited them back only to play a hideous prank in revenge for his sisters and that ultimately they would all die- save her- at the claws and teeth of a monster.

Sam answered Josh's greeting with a forced smile of her own and followed the two to the lodge where Matt and Ashley were already waiting by the steps. The hellos and the discovery that the door was frozen shut came as no surprise to Sam and she watched the others silently. Chris and Ashley did their usual stumble through awkward conversing before he and Josh disappeared around the corner to find a way to break in.

Sam bit her lip as she struggled with what she should do and with a smile at Ashley she went after the two guys stopping to watch and listen.

"When are you gonna take her to the bone zone?"

Sam rolled her eyes at the crude yet completely legitimate question. She had to admit she was dying to know as well. But it did seem as if the conversation put some pep into Chris's confidence as he sounded one hundred percent ready to finally make a move and Sam decided to wait for Josh to come back.

He was gone from her sight for only a moment and when he was in her line of sight Sam studied him as he walked toward her. He had his head down so she had a moment to take in his clenched fists and deep frown.

"Josh?"

He looked up quickly and Sam almost gasped at the angry gleam in his eyes but it was gone in an instant as he quickly buried it beneath a warm smile and opened his arms wide.

"Sam! There's my girl. Sorry I haven't given you a… you know proper greeting. Get in here!"

She couldn't resist and quickly walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist as his went around her back. His winter vest was cold but his breath on her cheek was warm and he smelled just as he always did. She missed this, missed him.

After a moment Sam pulled back and looked up at Josh. She had so many questions tumbling through her mind and there was so much to say but the words died on her lips as he chuckled.

"I know that look. You look like you want to talk and ask me things but let me beat you to it. Yes I'm as fine as can be expected. You look great and I've missed you."

"You know I would have come up earlier to help you get this place into shape."

Sam saw the flicker of some unknown emotion cross his face and she had the sinking feeling that he wasn't looking at her anymore.

"Sorry Sam, I know I could have asked you but… something I needed to do myself." His voice was strangely hollow and after a short moment his gaze focused on her once more. "You understand right?"

Swallowing thickly Sam nodded and she tried to keep the suspicion out of her voice as she asked a newly realized question.

"Josh, if the front door is frozen shut, where have you been staying?"

"Sam! Josh! Quit flirting and get over here! I think Chris is at the door. Finally!" Ashley called from the front of the lodge safely giving Josh the excuse he needed to pretend as if Sam had never voiced her question. Instead he quickly brushed past her and Sam was beginning to panic.

* * *

A silent Sam watched as Jess and Emily nearly came to cat scratches and hair pulling. Their fight played out before her in the exact same way. Before Emily threw the comeback "At least I can think. Four point O bitch, honor roll." At Jess, Sam knew she would say it.

As Emily continued her verbal attack with "Suck on that when you're trying to sleep your way into a job." Sam mouth the words along with her and tears filled her eyes.

"Stop it!" Josh yelled forcefully, and Sam snapped her eyes to him. "This is not why we came up here. This is not… helping. It's not what I wanted. If we can't get along for ten minutes then maybe we need a little bit of a break right? Mike, why don't you check out the guest cabin? The one I told you about."

"Yea..." Mike began to agree.

"No!" Sam cried out, fright made her eyes wide and shook her hands.

Her yell had the desired effect and all conversation ceased as everyone turned their gazes toward her.

After sucking in a shuddering breath Sam fought for calm and tried to turn her expression from terrified to concern.

"I-I mean that's a really long walk up to the cabin… I don't want anything to happen to you."

Mike rolled his eyes and gestured toward the window.

"What could happen Sam?"

"Yea Sam?" Jessica threw in.

Telling her friends the truth, that she'd had a nightmare just hours before with events and conversations oddly similar- no not similar but exactly the same to the present, and that in this nightmare terrible things would happen and all of them would die… they would tell her she was crazy and Sam wasn't sure if they wouldn't be far from accurate.

"Look why can't you just wait until morning? I-I'm sure I heard on the way up here that there was supposed to be a snowstorm sometime and with what happened-"

Mike held up a hand, guilt shining in his eyes when he quickly shifted his gaze from Sam to Josh, who was standing with his hands in his coat pockets, expression blank but Sam could see his jaw was clenched.

"Fine Sam if it'll get you to stop, Jess and I'll wait for tomorrow. But-" Mike ignored Jessica's loud gasp of outrage and the way she folded her arms and glared. "This is going to take some serious boozing and we call the big ass tub for ourselves."

Relief flooded through her that Mike and Jess weren't going to be sent through the hell they went through in her nightmare and she nodded eagerly.

"Alright, good. So Josh, why don't you get a fire going and I'll go see what I can raid from the booze bar."

"Where's my bag?" Emily asked and Sam froze again.

A light "huh?" came from Matt before Emily's tone turned bitchy again.

"My bag!"

Sam watched them argue over whether to go get it and she couldn't find any possible reason for them not to go.

"Wait!" Sam called as they began to walk away and Emily gave an annoyed sigh.

"What is it now? Don't want us to go because of the scary snow?"

Sam swallowed and looked between both of her friends wishing she knew how to keep them safe.

"No just… be careful okay?"

"Sure Sam, let's go Matt." Emily muttered over her shoulder as she dragged her reluctant boyfriend through the front door.

"Sam where's the drunken bliss I was promised?" Mike called from his spot on the sofa, Jess at his side and she spun around. Josh had knelt down by the fireplace, while Ashley and Chris looked for matches.

"I'll just go get that then." She whispered and hurried toward the kitchen.

* * *

Josh watched Sam practically run from the room with a slight frown.

"Do you guys think Sam is alright?" He asked to the remaining friends.

"She seems fine to me. Quiet at times but for the most part she's her usual happy go lucky self." Chris answered.

"Nah did you see the way she freaked when Mike and I were going to leave and then again with that whore and her toy?" Jess piped in. "Totally weird."

"She just wanted to make sure everyone is safe… and after last year can you really blame her? I mean she feels so guilty about it…" Ashley defended.

Josh shook his head and looked at the picture of his sisters, Sam, and himself, that was perched on the fireplace mantle. Something was off.

The way Sam was looking at him, and now his plan to get Mike and Jess out of the lodge until he could deal with them later was postponed.

"Hey babe… want to sneak away to the cabin before Sam gets back?" Josh heard Mike ask Jess quietly. He didn't have to look back to know that she had agreed and they were already making a run for the front door.

He gave a pleased grin. "Have fun kiddo's! And remember! Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Like stay out past curfew!" He called after them while Chris and Ashley gave amused chuckles. They stopped abruptly when Sam hurried back into the room, a full bottle of vodka in one of her hands.

"Did they- did they just go to the cabin? And you let them?" She asked and Josh could see the fear in her eyes.

"Well yea… you think I really want to listen to them pound it out all night in my bathtub? Let em go Sam they can take care of themselves."

"No, no, no, they can't go out there. No this can't happen. They were supposed to stay here! Wh-where it's safe!" Sam said in a panicked voice.

Chris took a step toward a now pacing Sam. "Sam… They'll be ok…"

She looked up at him with sadness. "Oh Chris no, no they won't be."

Josh reached her and set his hands on her shoulders and lowered himself to her eye level. "Is this about last year?" He watched as her eyes watered and she bit her lip before shaking her head.

"No, it's more, so, so much fucking more."

"Sam what is it then? What has you so freaked out?" He asked with genuine concern. He had never seen Sam this messed up before. She was level headed and steady. And always when he couldn't be. "What is it you aren't telling me?"

She lifted her chin. "I'm going after them. I can't explain it without sounding insane so I'm just going to say that there is… something… out there and again it can't be explained rationally. But if I don't do something then everyone… everyone will die." Josh watched her take a shaky breath as she kept her eyes lock on his. "And it starts with those two going up to the cabin."


	3. Chapter 3

Dark green eyes shrouded in a mixture of confusion and concern studied Sam, searching for clues on what she could possibly be talking about. Before Josh could voice any questions she rested a hand on his arm, her eyes pleading with him.

"Please Josh… we have to go after them. I'm going but I- I need you to come with me." Sam was dreading the chance that he would choose his revenge prank over helping her and their friends. And the way he was clenching his jaw and the race of his breath, he was clearly torn with the idea.

She had to say something, anything, to get through to him and she realized that she had to come clean with everything that she knew… about him and what was going to happen tonight. With a nervous glance at Chris and Ashley who were watching the scene with obvious interest Sam moved closer to Josh, so close she could see the gold shining with the green in his eyes.

Her voice at barely a whisper Sam put everything, her relationship with Josh, both of their sanities and their lives, in his hand.

"I… I know about everything Josh. About how you set up this elaborate production of revenge." Sam's voice began to shake when his expression went from confused to shock and the words just poured from her. "You fake your death, leaving Chris to believe that he murdered you, you- you- drugged me with _something_ and left me tied to a chair in the basement. Clearly there's so much that we need to talk about but we are not what are important right now-"

"How, Sam? No, no, no, no. You can't know. It's- no, this… this is…" Josh pulled himself away from Sam roughly and ran his palms over face, pacing in front of the low fire.

Sam noticed Chris taking a step toward them and not wanting him and Ashley to know just how bad off Josh was she fisted a hand in his sleeve and pulled him to the kitchen.

"Josh, look at me, look at me _please_."

Josh shook his head and gripped the edge of the counter tightly.

"You can't know." He muttered.

A heavy sigh escaped her and she rested a hand on his back.

"I do though, I know and… how I know… it's the stuff out of your dad's movies and meant to be impossible. But I do know. I- I understand- no I can't say I get it but we need to talk about what else I know. Josh there is something on this mountain. You wouldn't believe me- hell I'm still reeling that it's apparently all true- but it's going to kill everyone here unless I- no _we_ stop it. Please Josh… I- I need you to help me."

There was a heavy silence as Sam waited for him to wade through the tangled mess she had made everything. She wanted to be angry and disgusted with him that he had really planned to emotionally torture her and their friends tonight. Wanted to look at him with hatred but she knew that it was the opposite. Despite the betrayal she felt cutting into her she knew without a doubt that he needed her, now more than ever. He didn't know it and she only just realized it herself as she watched him rapidly blink is eyes and talk to himself silently.

She was never letting him out of her sight again.

"Wh-what do I need to do?" He asked in a whisper and turned his head to stare at her.

Sam's heart broke at the sheen of moister along with the desperate wildness in his eyes and swore that after they survived tonight she would help him. She lifted a hand to his cheek and gave a small smile.

"We need to get to that cabin."

He gave a deep breath as if he were drawing in strength and nodded. "Okay. Okay let's go."

Sam felt relief rush through her body and she answered his nod with one of her own. "Okay."

He followed her back into the family room where Chris and Ashley whispered and glanced their way.

"What the hell is going on with you two? Since when are we all secretive and hushy?" Chris demanded but Sam could see the worry in his eyes. She knew she would need to choose her words and actions carefully.

"Josh and I are going to go find Mike and Jess and drag them back down here by their perfect asses. As for you two, go around and triple check all the doors and windows. They need to be locked and don't open for anyone except us."

"Sam you're starting to freak me out." Ashley said with an anxious twisting of her hands.

"I know Ash… I'm sorry, and I'll try to explain it all once everyone is back here. But Josh and I need to leave. Now, before it's too late. Lock windows and doors. Oh and find anything that can make a fire and if anything comes in other than us… light it up. Let's go Josh." Sam said as she handed him his beanie and watched him slip it onto his head.

"Wait Sam that's insane!" Chris said with no small amount of disbelief in his voice.

Sam and Josh both gave a slight flinch at the word 'insane', neither liking the word but Sam nodded her head and quickly walked toward the side exit, picking up a flashlight along the way.

"Believe me I know. Just trust me and do it." And she led Josh out into the frozen night before another word could be said.

They were silent as they walked with a quick pace, side by side. Sam tried not to worry, to keep her fear from swallowing her, but she couldn't stop the way she studied each tree and every shadow.

The night sky was thick with snow and clouds and the occasional pathway light offered her very little reassurance. The sound of a branch snapping had both Sam and Josh frozen in their tracks as they watched and waited. Sam reached out a hand and found Josh's, clasping them tightly as she prepared to run.

The sight of a fluffy tailed squirrel scurrying across the snow covered path had Sam and Josh releasing held breaths and soft chuckles. Josh bumped his shoulder against Sam's and shook his head.

"You were so scared."

Rolling her eyes but pleased that Josh had a genuine smile she didn't defend herself. Instead she kept her hand in his and pulled him along the path. Sam gave a frustrated groan when they found the path blocked by a tree. "Great."

"There's the old mine tunnel we can take to get around." Josh suggested.

Sam immediately shook her head. "No, the- it's- they are called wedingos and they- ok never mind not enough time- look they are out here, and they are in the mines, and locked in the sanatorium. The point is we are not going near the mines. You remember the climbing lessons I tried to get you to take with me right? This- is nothing, especially for a professional for me."

Josh held up his hands and stepped back. "Alright, show me how it's done Miss Professional."

In a matter of moments Sam was standing on top of the tree with a triumphant grin.

"Show off."

"Oh I know that already. C'mon, it's freezing out here."

Josh was noticeably less practiced at climbing than she was and he gave her a sheepish smile once they were both on the other side of the fallen tree.

"I give in, when we get out of here; I'll go with you to your classes. Sign me up!"

"I don't know… from what I just saw, I don't think you've got what it takes to become an expert mountain climber."

Josh gave a light laugh. "Maybe you're right. Guess we'll have to see."

Sam allowed them to drift into silence and they continued to climb the stairs and winding path, over yet another tree, until Josh finally broke the silence once more.

"I wasn't going to hurt anyone… You know. Just- I wasn't going to hurt _you_ Sam. I want you to know that." Josh said quietly from her side.

She looked at him sharply.

"But you would have. You were going to force me to watch a video of Chris killing you… for fucks sake Josh." Sam couldn't take another step. Suddenly even the threat of a mountain full of wendigoes couldn't stop her from saying what had been burning in her chest. "I loved them, and it tears me up inside every day to look at their names on my contact list, to read through our text conversations, the notes we passed in class… The way- The way they-" Sam paused stared up at him. "The way they would tell me that you look at me when I wasn't watching."

Josh didn't speak but she could see his Adams apple move as he swallowed. Stepping closer, Sam put all the emotion she had been feeling and holding inside out there in the cold air.

"They would tease me for the way I would look at you and they had this- this stupid bet on which they could get to ask the other out. You know, like we do for Chris and Ashley-" Sam cut off at the stunned look on Josh's face. "You didn't… know? Course not, how could you?"

"Sam what are you saying?" Josh asked with a voice that was equally confused and nervous.

"Last year I- I was going to try and dig up some courage and tell you my feelings. But instead everything went to shit and ever since… we've both just been trying to make it through to the next day and now…" Sam felt her eyes water. "Josh… you were-"

Sam cut off as Josh pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck. She could hear him mumbling how sorry he was and felt the shake of his body. She was reminded about just how broken Josh truly was, the guilt she knew he felt and how she needed to be strong for them both. Lifting her hands she held his the back of his head and when he leaned back to look at her she gave a small smile.

"Jessica!"

They quickly looked toward the sound of Mike screaming Jessica's name. Sam felt her heart stop and she shook her head. "No, no, no, we're too late. Josh we're too late!"

Josh didn't reply but broke into a sprint for the cabin, Sam following right behind him. They arrived just in time to see Mike run from the cabin with an old hunting rifle.

"Mike!" Josh called, gaining Mike's attention, however briefly.

"Something took her! Jus-just fucking ripped her through the fucking door and took her!" Mike yelled in disbelief.

"Oh God." Sam whispered and looked out into the black forest. "Okay, okay, Mike which way did they go?" When he used the gun to point in a direction Sam nodded, "Toward the mines. Come on we need to get her."

Mike nodded and led the way through the forest.

"Mike, be careful." Sam whispered as the three peered over the edge of a cliff.

"We don't have time to be careful, I'm jumping." Mike said with a firm voice.

"Josh and I'll be right behind you." Sam said as she looked over her shoulder toward Josh and he confirmed with a slight nod. His expression was full of disbelief and worry.

A second later Mike had lowered himself down the ledge and tumbled ungracefully to ground below with him calling for Jessica the whole time.

"Alright he's down. You go ahead Sam, I'm right with you." Josh said.

Sam lost count of the many times they jumped down cliffs, fell, and stumbled through freezing streams, the whole time following the sound of Jessica's screams for help.

"Jessica!" Sam called as they landed on the walkway to the abandoned mine just as Jessica was dragged inside. "Hurry, hurry." She whispered and they broke out into a sprint. The mine was dark and cold and it took a moment for their eyes to adjust the dust filled air.

"She's down there!" Josh said and led the way down the stairs and toward the elevator.

"Josh get her, you have to get her out of there now!" Sam said frantically.

Josh reached the crumbling elevator where Jessica laid, covered in her own blood and countless bruises and cuts. Sam watched Josh kneel at her side and in a movement that seemed to take forever he scooped her into his arms and fell backwards, out of the elevator as the wires holding it snapped and the metal caged crashed hundreds of feet below.

"Josh!" Sam called as Mike cried out Jessica's name and they both landed on their knees next to them. Mike carefully lifted Jessica off of Josh's chest and cradled her to him, murmuring her name.

"Looks like she's passed out." Sam said as she helped Josh sit up and looked him over. "Are you ok?" She whispered.

Rubbing the back of his head he nodded. "Here Mike put this over her." He said and took off his vest and handed it to Mike.

"We need to get her somewhere safe" Sam panted as she leaned heavily against the rock wall.

"I can carry her back to the lodge." Mike said.

Nodding Sam looked at Josh who was staring at Jessica with wide eyes.

"Josh?" Sam whispered and touched his arm. He blinked his eyes and looked at her.

"You were right… but um the sanitarium, it's closer" he said.

"No we can't! That place is infested with them just like the mines! Do you know the fastest way back to the lodge?"

Josh hesitated before pushing himself to his feet and helped Sam to stand. Mike joined them with Jess still in his arms, waiting for Josh to tell them where to go.

"Ok we have to go back outside and take one of the old mining trails to get back on the main path. It's going to be a long walk and with the condition that Jess is in we have to make it fast. I'll lead, Mike you with Jess in the middle and Sam you ok with bringing up the rear?"

Sam nodded. "Of course. Let's get back and hopefully Emily and Matt have made it back too. Then we can call for help."

Everyone agreed with the plan, save Jessica who was still unconscious.

/\/\/\/\/

Struggling to keep his mind clear, Josh pulled a branch from the narrow trail, allowing Mike and Sam to walk past. Mike had a worried frown and he continuously glanced down to check on Jess. Sam, he could see was scared but she gave him a slight smile despite that.

He didn't deserve it. She was forgiving him too easily. She was wrong about so much too.

He knew how she had felt about him, about the bet his sisters had made. Hell, he had been told by Hannah mere moments after the two had made it. He remembered laughing and making the promise to Hannah she would win the bet. He just needed to find the right time to tell Sam.

And then he got drunk the night he was going to make well and good on his promise.

Josh clenched his hands and shook his head as he heard Hannah's voice whispering behind him,

"So much that you've ruined…"

Josh whipped around to find Sam and Mike frozen in their steps. "You- you guys heard that?" he whispered.

They were both searching the dark woods with wide eyes.

"Must have been a- a wild cat right? I mean a deer or bear wouldn't make that noise.." Mike said and Josh looked at them with confusion.

"I hate to say it Mike but I wish that were a wild cat. It's worse than that. Josh you've gotta get us to the lodge." Sam looked at him.

Josh was still hovering in a world of lost confusion and he looked around with wild eyes. "What, Sam what are you-" he cut off when he felt Sam press her palms against his cheeks and he focused on her.

"Josh we're counting on you." She whispered.

The edges of panic slowly backed away as he kept his eyes locked with hers and the echo of Hannah's voice slipped away. He needed to get Sam to safety. He had to do this.


	4. Chapter 4

AN- So yea... hi yall. Been awhile!

* * *

"Josh? Please… tell me we're almost there." Sam tried to gasp out through painfully cold breaths. She turned from leaning against a boulder to help Mike lift Jess up a small cliff. She didn't see the hesitation in his eyes as he glanced around before offering Mike a hand.

"Positively. Once we reach the top of this hill we should see the lodge," he said with more certainty in his tone than he was feeling

Mike heaved Jess up before accepting the hand Josh offered. "I thought you practically grew up out here man."

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Sam's stomach at the glint of wildness in Josh's eyes. He was worried and terrified, she could tell. Barely holding it together, just like her. She knew what was coming for them.

A high pitch screech ripped through the night air and Sam slipped her hand into Josh's when he stumbled back against an old pine.

Mike swore and lifted Jess higher in his arms as she emitted a pain filled moan.

"We need to keep running." Sam whispered.

The sound of something scraping on the rocks below them caused her to tremble and the pain of Josh gripping her hand hardly registered.

"Guys… we need to go now. Josh please!"

Josh twisted around toward the path, an urgency in his movements as he pushed onward through the bared trees and thick snow. Sam set her hands on Mike's back, keeping him steady as he struggled to keep Jess secure in his arms lest he stumble. Anxiously she leaned over to look around him to keep an eye on Josh.

"I can see the lodge!" Josh called over his shoulder, the relief in his voice matching her own. With renewed energy they finished their journey, Josh taking a moment to point out Chris and Ashley playing cards by the fire rather than making out like the sex starved individuals they were.

"Josh- man, not the time." Mike muttered while Sam rolled her eyes, lifting a fist to the door. When Chris unlocked the door for them and Mike rushed Jess inside.

"What the- what happened?" Chris called out after Mike before swinging worried eyes back toward Sam and Josh.

"Lock the door Chris. Are Matt and Emily back yet?" Sam asked over her shoulder while she hurried after Mike.

Ashley stood anxiously behind Mike while he laid Jess on the couch, examining her many cuts and bruises.

"What happened to Jess?" Ashley whispered.

"We- we were attacked. It- whatever the fuck _it_ was, dragged Jess halfway across the mountain. It would have taken her into the mines if Josh hadn't gotten to her in time." Mike bit out roughly.

"Josh, you got any first aid? Some of those cuts look pretty bad." Chris said.

Sam looked from Jess to Josh, to find him watching with a tight expression, focused on Mike. She knew anger still simmered beneath the surface.

"Josh?" She asked when he didn't answer Chris. A new wave of worry surrounded her and she hurried to his side, resting a hand on his arm. His eyes dropped to her, blinking away whatever ghosts had held his attention. "First aid kit?"

Josh took a deep breath and nodded toward a cabinet behind one of the couches. "In there. Should be enough to hold her over."

Chris rushed to find the supplies and handed them over to Mike. The room was silent as everyone anxiously watched Mike clean and bandage the worst of Jessica's wounds. When he finished, he sat on the floor, his back leaning against the couch and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Should someone call for help?" Ashley asked quietly.

Everyone shared a look before looking at their phones.

"I never have service up here… Any of you?" Sam asked after putting her away. There were a few muttered no's and shaken heads.

"We never have the lodge lines active this time of year." Josh added.

A groan from Jess captured everyone's attention.

"Oh God… my head… my- ev-everything…" She said with a raw voice. "Wh- what happened?" She blinked open her eyes and cried out in pain, lifting shaking hands to see the raw scratches. Mike rushed to calm her, but she was already reliving the experience. "I remember. I- I remember." She sat up, ignoring the obvious pain she must have been in, her eyes wild with panic.

"We have to get out of here! I'm getting of this mountain. Tonight!" Jess cried out.

"But your back at the lodge… were safe here. Right?" Chris said hesitantly. "Just what is it that attacked you? What did this to Jess? A bear?"

"It wasn't a bear… it was a monster! It- it grabbed me from outside the cabin! We aren't safe here, we have to leave this mountain."

"Alright, and I get that. You're scared. But that was a little cabin. This place is much more secure, besides there's, like a blizzard out there right now." Chris tried to calm Jess down and reason with her.

Sam and Ashley yelped when Mike was suddenly on his feet and he grabbed Chris up by the front of his shirt.

"You don't get it. We're getting off this damn mountain before that thing finds a way to drag us all back to the mines, where it tried to take Jess." He bit out.

"Okay, okay. Mike let him go. You're right, we're not safe here." Sam tried to get Mike to calm down. He held Chris one last moment before letting him go and moving back to Jess. Ashley rushed over to Chris who shook his head and walked toward the next room.

"Fine, we'll go. I'll go find some flashlights." Chris said over his shoulder.

"Ashley, can you find something warm for Jess?" Sam asked.

Ashley looked between Chris's retreating figure and the mostly naked Jess. "Sure."

"About Matt and Emily… surely if they haven't returned by now, we'll come across them on their way back…" said Sam.

"Do you think whatever's out there, whatever got to Jess, could it have gotten them as well?" Mike asked.

Sam tried not to panic. In her dream, Matt and Emily had never returned from the cable car. Her only hope of saving them was to find them before they fell into the mine.

"Guys we need to hurry… We need to find them before we get to the cable car." Sam said urgently.

"I need to go to the basement. One of the cable car keys are down there." Josh said.

"I'll come with you." Sam said immediately. They waited for Mike to nod his understanding before Sam followed Josh. "Why are the cable car keys in the basement?" Sam asked. As far as she could remember, Josh hadn't been out of her sight since they arrived.

"Jess had the other one and unless she has it stuffed in her bra, I doubt she remembered to grab it before…"

"Got it."

Sam shivered as memories of visiting the basement in her dreams came back to her, and her eyes were drawn to the trap door in the corner. It seemed to be latched but that did little to ease her fear. She froze when she spotted the mask Josh had planned to wear.

"Some part of me hates them still." Josh said when he noticed where her attention had stopped.

Sam shook her head with sadness.

"And that's perfectly justified. Hell, even hating me for not doing something to stop them is understandable… but this… what you planned to do… it's not ok."

Josh's expression shuttered and he turned away from her, riffling through random objects cluttering the desk. "You never told me how you knew… or what it is that attacked Jess."

Sam sighed and picked up a prescription bottle.

"I experienced this night in a dream. A dream that I woke up from right before I had to leave to grab the bus. It freaked me out so bad that I cried." Sam paused, wondering if she should tell him everything. About Hannah. "Everything was the same, the story Chris told me about how the two of you met. The fight between Jess and Emily. That's when I knew not only what you were planning to do was for real, but also that everyone was going to die because of… they're called wedingos."

"You're right- does sound like something my dad put in a movie. Look." Josh held up the key with a triumphant smile before shoving it into his jean pocket. "Let's get out of here Sam."

Sam matched his smile. She couldn't help the small bit of relief it brought her to see it. They may have a lot of work to do in moving past the deaths of his sisters, but he was worth it.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a wendigo, one with a familiar butterfly tattoo on its arm, crashed through the trap door and grasped Josh around one of his ankles. Before either could react with anything more than horror filled expressions, Josh was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Reality slammed into Sam as she screamed Josh's name. She'd allowed herself to fall into an uneasy, yet there all the same, sense of security. They'd made it back to the lodge, meaning they had time before the monster found them.

Sam hadn't taken into account that she'd changed the way things were meant to play out. And now Josh was ripped away, this time before her eyes, and she had nothing to guide her now… nothing but instinct.

By the time she calmed herself back to rational thought, one thing remained. She wasn't loosing Josh and she moved to follow after him.

"Sam!"

She paused as Mike crashed into the room, and she had to admit that she was glad it was him. She loved Chris, and knew he'd be brave for his best friend but Mike… Mike had already been through this with Jess.

"It took Josh. I'm going after him." She said with a sense of determination, and true to her instinct, Mike didn't fight her on it. She didn't have to bargain with him about the last cable car key being in Josh's pocket, or remind him that Josh had saved Jess.

From her… premonition… Mike had been brave and heroic and despite his folly a year ago, he was a good friend.

"Then we better go."

Sam nodded and despite the fear churning in her stomach, she lowered herself to the broken entry into the mines.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Chris called from the doorway. "We heard you call out… where's Josh?"

"Chris. We don't have time, just know Josh is in danger and we're going after him. Stay in the main room with the others." Sam quickly said before dropping herself into the darkness. She grunted lightly as she landed on a rocky slope, sliding down several feet before catching her footing and coming to a stop.

She listened as Mike did the same, bumping into her slightly. They allowed a moment for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"What are we looking for?" Mike said quietly.

Sam moved her eyes over the mine grounds, her memories of rusted machinery, collapsed shafts, and fighting for her life, rushed back to her. A distinct line in the dirt caught her attention.

"This way." She said quietly and eased herself down to the path.

"Sam look at this."

Sam squinted in the darkness to the spot Mike had indicated. Something dark glistened in the sparse lighting.

"Is that… blood?" She whispered.

"I think it is. Must of hit these rocks hard pretty hard."

"Or the wounds came from…" Sam couldn't bring herself to finish. Her hands began to shake at the thought of being too late. "We need to find him. Now." She said in a voice stronger than she felt.

The drag marks led them to a tunnel devoid of any light.

"Really wish we'd had time to snag a few flashlights." Mike said. "Here, put your hand on my shoulder so I don't lose you in here."

Sam nodded at the good idea.

"We need to find Emily and Matt." Sam said, her eyes searching the darkness for any sign of movement.

"Sam- they could be anywhere. Hell, they could be at the cable car still, getting it on."

"They aren't. Something happens to them."

Mike scoffed. "And how do you know?"

"The same way I knew about Jess. How I know is hard to explain. The short version, I had a dream, everyone died except me. I wake up, come here and everything is happening exactly the same. Except I've managed to prevent Jess's death… for now."

"Fuck's sake Sam…"

Sam heard the skepticism in his voice and rolled her eyes.

"Yea, yea- look just believe me please. And walk faster."

Mike did indeed step up his speed. "How do we know there wasn't a branch off this tunnel and that's the way it took Josh? How big is this place-" He cut off when lights lining the tunnel suddenly turned on. "What tha…"

Sam blinked her eyes, adjusting to the sudden brightness and studying the tunnel.

"Look, we're still following the trail. C'mon."

"Uhh not curious as to who turned on the lights?" Mike asked and joined her light jog.

"Sure I am, but Josh is more important at the moment." Sam answered back, coming to a stop at the end of the tunnel and peering around the corners. The tunnel opened into a massive cavern with rusted platforms and crumbling planks. "Look!" Sam pointed to what looked to be a small underground pond with a dark shape floating near the edge. "Oh God…" she whispered in a pained voice.

Mike leapt into action, instead of taking the path bordering the room to the rusted landing, he began to climb down the nearest age rotted ladder, Sam following quickly. In their rush, the braces holding the ladder to the rock wall began to separate.

"Mike, the ladder!" Sam called out the warning just as they began to fall. Using her instinct as a rock climber, Sam managed to quickly grasp the wall. Mike had not been as lucky and fell with the ladder, landing heavily on his back. Sam held on a moment longer before easing her way to the ground.

By then, with painful sounding wheezing, Mike had pushed the ladder from his chest and rolled to his feet.

"You ok?" Sam asked as she ran past, her gaze locked on the shadowy figure floating in the water.

"Fucking- great." Mike got out.

The two of them splashed into the nearly freezing water, the shock causing them to gasp.

"It's him. Oh no- no- no-." Sam felt herself beginning to panic when she recognized his flannel shirt.

"We still have time- just- need to get Josh- to solid ground." Mike said and turned Josh's body face up before tugging him toward the edge of the pool.

"I know CPR. Do you?" Sam asked. Together, they pulled Josh's cold body onto solid ground.

"I think so."

Sam placed her fingers against his neck, searching for a pulse.

"There's so much blood…" She whispered.

Mike ripped a strip from Josh's shirt and pressed it against the deep gash across his hairline.

"I can't find a pulse!" Sam cried out and positioned herself over Josh. She counted out her compressions before tilting his head back and attempted to force air into his lungs. When Josh failed to breath on his own, Sam began the process again. With every press of her hands, her fear grew and her heart began to break.

"C'mon man…" Mike whispered.

Sam felt herself weakening and her hope leaving.

With her sight blurry from tears, she watched as Josh's blue lips opened and he gagged on the water leaving his lungs.

"Quickly, turn him!" Sam said. She didn't know if it was the right thing to do, she'd never had to deal with anyone who'd drowned, but it seemed to help.

Josh clutched at his throat as he alternated between coughing and gasping, his eyes clenched shut with pain.

Sam thought he looked miserable but she felt a relief unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It made her light headed and she rested her head on his shaking shoulder.

"You're ok…. You're ok." She whispered repeatedly.

When his coughing for the most part began to subside, Mike helped Josh to sit up with Sam kneeling in front of him. Her heart clenched painfully as his gaze met hers. His dark hair was dripping and blood stained his skin, he still had a blue tinge about him and his lips trembled with cold or exhaustion… perhaps both. But he was beautifully alive.

"Wh-" Josh tried to speak but winced in pain.

"Try not to talk… not until we get you out of here… Do you think you can stand?" Sam asked.

The muscles along his throat seemed to clench painfully as he swallowed but he gave a determined nod.

"All right let's do this. Anyone know how to get out of here?" Mike said before easing one of Josh's arms over his shoulder and helping him stand.

"Hold this to your head before you pass out from blood loss." Sam moved Josh's hand to hold the wad of cloth against his wound before quickly taking up his other side, her smaller stature did little to aid the two guys but she had to do something, and it brought her comfort to have her arm around him. She hopped it brought him some comfort as well.

"We can see if that door opens… maybe get back to the tunnel?" Sam suggested.

Mike shook his head. "We'll never get back up that slope. I don't know if you know… but Josh, dude, you're heavy."

"All… muscle." Josh managed to whisper.

"Mike, stop making him talk." Sam said with more bite than she meant, for the smile she sent Josh's way said she was lightened to hear him make a joke just seconds after escaping death.

"Then let's go that way. Looks like a doorway underneath the landing. And there's light coming from it."

"Sold." Sam agreed, moving along with Mike and Josh as they hobbled toward the door.

"Dammit. Sam, help him lean against the wall. Looks like a lock…"

Sam stumbled slightly as she eased Josh toward the nearest wall and watched Mike's attempts at removing the lock.

"Stay here, I'll look through that pile of machinery and see if I can find something heavy to hit this lock with. It's pretty rusted so I bet it won't take much to snap it." Mike said and waited for Sam's nod before jogging toward the rusted heap of mining equipment.

Sam didn't like being left behind, to sit and wait anxiously. Knowing that at any moment the monster would return to finish what it had begun. But Josh needed her and she knew Mike would be quick about his task.

She looked up at Josh, looking for reassurance that he was ok. Though still pale, a ting of his natural tan was returning. He rested his head back against the rocky wall with his eyes closed, breathing deeply. Concerned over his wound, she reached up and pulled his hand back, the movement drawing his eyes open. After she studied it a moment, she set his hand back.

"Sa-m."

She met his gaze.

"Is thi-s how- I died?"

Sam tried to keep her composure over his question.

"Honestly… I'm… the wendigo took you. Mike and I found you but… you weren't in any shape to leave the way we come so... I left. Mike was helping you through a different way but… you didn't make it out with him. The wendigo found you again." She tried to hide her fear, to refuse the possibility that it still very well could happen. Unconsciously she tightened her hand into a fist, holding the back of his wet shirt.

He watched her with a tense expression before leaning his head to rest on top of hers.

"But you-"

"Shh, did you hear that?" Sam straightened from the wall, her senses alert. The sound of falling rocks and perhaps steel, echoed from somewhere beyond the pond. "Mike?" She called out hesitantly.

"Right here." Mike huffed out. He held up a pick axe for them to see before bringing it down in several swings against the lock. The racket had Sam looking about nervously but when the lock shattered and fell to the found it took everything she had not to let out a cheer.

"C'mon." She whispered to Josh and helped him step over to Mike. Together they took the path through the door, hopeful that it would lead them to safety.

They hadn't gone far when the sound of screeching steel on steel surrounded them, followed by an explosion that seemed to shake the mine.

"Josh do you think you can run?" Mike asked. He didn't wait for an answer but pulled Josh into a faster pace. Though he still seemed sluggish, Josh was managing to keep up.

A familiar screech filled the air, raising the hair on the back of Sam's neck.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dammit- there's more of you down here?" A gruff voice huffed from nearby, drawing Josh's attention as well as Sam and Mike's.

"Who's that? Show yourself!" Mike called, skidding to a stop and holding the pickaxe like a bat.

"Mike?" Came the answering voice of Emily as she stepped from the shadows.

"Emily!" Sam cried out. Josh could hear the relief in her voice and watched silently as she rushed forward to pull Emily into a hug.

"Ew Sam, you're wet and smell like a sewer."

"And you smell like an ash tray. What happened? Where's Matt?"

"He's still in the tunnel. His ankle is pretty much broken. And it's a long story… what about you three?"

"Excuse me here but who the fuck is this guy and can we please hold off the story swap until we get the hell off this mountain?" Mike interrupted.

"Mike's right… I was just so relieved. I didn't think I'd ever see you two again." Sam went to help Matt but Mike beat her to him.

"As for this guy… he's the reason we're still alive. And he knows the way out of here." Emily said.

"Which we need to be doing. Now." The stranger added and began walking into another tunnel.

"Be useful for once Mike and help me get Matt to his feet." Emily said with less venom in her voice than she typically would have. Mike only rolled his eyes and followed her into the tunnel, a moment later

Josh managed to walk on his own, feeling stronger than he had, but when Sam took her place at his side and pulled his arm over her shoulder, he welcomed the feeling.

His brief feeling of contentment evaporated as a bone chilling sound echoed after them. He felt Sam tense, causing his own body to react with fear spreading through his chest.

"If you want to live, you better get to running." The stranger said. He stopped walking, his eyes searching the dimly lit tunnel over his shoulder. Once everyone had passed him, picking up their pace as much as the severely injured Matt could handle, Sam looked back at the stranger.

"What about you?" she asked. Josh realized that he hadn't noticed the older man was no longer with them.

The man held up some sort of nozzle and Josh's eyebrows lifted in impressed astonishment as he realized the man had a flame thrower strapped to his back.

"I'll be fine. Git on out of here before it's too late." He said gruffly. "Follow the tunnel, it'll take you to the exit. You don't stop, not for nothing. You get off this mountain. Now. Not in the morning but now."

Sam nodded once and Josh pulled her with him, sending his own grateful nod back to the stranger. The sounds that only a monster could make grew closer, soon to be followed by the taunts of the stranger and the roar of his flame thrower.

Fear and hope kept them going, through the tunnel and into a large room filled with rusted mining equipment and a large door made of rotting wood. Not a word was said as they worked together to pull the door open, soundless relief when it swung open to the cold winter night.

The dark silhouette of the lodge stood in the distance. Where once the sky had been shrouded by dark clouds, a starry night welcomed them, lighting the way to the lodge and beyond to their escape from the nightmare.

Josh shared a long glance with Sam, grasping her hand in his and holding on tightly.

* * *

 **A sunny summer morning quite a bit later**

Warm sunlight filtered through her bedroom window, gently waking Sam from her peaceful slumber. Immediately she was lost in memories from the night before.

" _Do you think tomorrow is a good idea?" Josh asked quietly? He was seated on the floor, leaning back against her bed._

 _Sam held up her favorite swim suit, frowning in disappointed as she noticed the once vibrant colors had faded greatly since the summer before. She thought over Josh's question and sent him a soft smile._

" _I do."_

 _Josh looked up at her and held a hand out to her which she took immediately, coming to rest at his side._

" _I guess you haven't steered me wrong yet."_

" _Exactly." Sam tilted her head in playful thoughtfulness. "In fact everyone should listen to me. I seem to have a gift for knowing what's right."_

" _I happen to know a thing or two." Josh said with a husky drawl in his voice._

 _When his green eyes fell to her lips, Sam couldn't stop herself from swaying toward him slightly. The delightful twist of anticipation spread through her stomach only to turn into desire when he closed the small distance between them._

 _In the moments following the joining of their lips, Sam found herself straddling his lap, whether he pulled her there or she pushed her way, she didn't know. All that mattered was that after months of fighting their way through the chaos and torment of the past two years, she knew they were both ready for what would soon follow._

 _Time, tears, and patience had slowly healed deep wounds. Though they would never completely be erased, they were at least at a point where thoughts of the past no longer came with panic and dread._

 _So Sam poured her emotions into that kiss. It wasn't their first but she knew it was important and felt its shattering effects throughout her body._

 _They were both alive. In that moment, the monsters and pain of their past had no place in their minds. Strong arms were wrapped around her, long fingers twisted through her hair, and short stubble moved across her skin._

 _Clothes were shed and pillows knocked from her bed._

 _They were alive._

A rustle from her bathroom drew her attention and she turned over to face it with a stretch and a yawn.

She caught a glimpse of tan skin before it was covered by a fluffy towel, bringing a languid smile to her face.

"What has you smiling so soon after waking up?"

Sam bit her lip, trying to hide her smile somewhat and failing miserably when Josh, with his hair still dripping from his very recent shower, faced her and leaned against the bathroom doorway.

"Oh nothing, just the brief view I got to have of your pert ass." She said playfully.

Josh scoffed a laugh, and the tips of his ears turned a shade of pink that brought her a certain amount of delight.

"My ass is not pert. It's manly."

Sam rolled her eyes and rolled onto her back.

"Either way, we should get ready. Not only will my parents be back today, but we have a beach waiting for us."

"After all we've been through… it'll be great to see everyone and on better circumstances."

Sam studied Josh intently before patting the bed.

"To everyone else, the nightmare was in the moment… over in less than eight hours. For you-" Sam paused and grasped his hand and pulling it to her lips-"for us- it's been much deeper. Don't diminish what you feel in order to put on a brave face. They'll understand." She smiled against his knuckles before setting his hand down again. "After all they may be assholes but they're our assholes and we're theirs."

Josh let out a quick laugh and shook his head.

"That sounds so wrong and messed up but it makes so much sense."

* * *

So that's the end. I hope you liked this Josh/Sam. I'm sorry if it's so short, and that it took so long the finish. I promise that Josh and Sam live on to have babies and have happy long lives. Sadly I'm just not that good at writing that stuff.


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